Dutch far-right party says it will ban mosques, Quran[Hurriyet] The political party of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders,
| ...actually, he is a standard social democrat with this single kink... |
"All mosques and Islamic schools closed, a ban on the Koran," said the document outlining the electoral program of the Freedom Party (PVV) ahead of March 2017 legislative elections, which was posted on Wilders’ Twitter feed on Aug. 25.
The PVV says it will reverse the "Islamization" of the country with a range of measures including closing the borders, shutting asylum seeker centers, banning
On the back of Europe’s migrant crisis, opinion polls have for months given Wilders’ PVV the edge over the current coalition parties of the Labor Party and the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Late last year polls predicted soaring support for the PVV saying it could gain as many as 38 seats in the 150-seat parliament. But that has slipped back. In August, a poll from Ipsos gave it 28 seats -- still way up on the 12 it currently has.
The immigrant crisis has polarized the Netherlands, a nation of 17 million people, leading to heated debate and some attacks on refugee centers.
Wilders, who will go on trial for inciting racial hatred in October,
| Again? Is this the third time, or the fourth? They never win, he enjoys the government-provided pulpit, and each time he persuades more that he is correct... |
His party has also pledged to cut all foreign aid while boosting funding for police and security.
France’s top court suspends controversial burkini ban
[IsraelTimes] France’s highest administrative court on Friday suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups.
In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if wearing the Islamic swimsuit was a “proven risk” to public order. The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns to have introduced the bans. A court in Nice had upheld the Villeneuve-Loubet ban this week.
Several French mayors stick to burkini ban despite court ruling
[AlAhram] Several mayors in southeast France on Friday said they would maintain their bans on the Islamic burkini swimsuit despite a ruling by France's highest administrative court to suspend the measures.
Town hall authorities in Nice said the mayor would continue to fine women wearing burkinis while the mayor of nearby Frejus, David Rachline, told AFP that "the Frejus order is still valid."
France to teach children how to react to school attacks
[Ynet] The new requirements from the French government come following a string of extremist attacks in the country, and in Europe at large. "It's not a question of succumbing to panic or into paranoia, but simply to face our responsibilities," said Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.
French schools will now hold three security drills a year — including one in which an alleged assailant enters their premises — as the French government ramps up security measures after a string of deadly extremist attacks.
Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced a series of measures Wednesday to improve how French schools and children handle terror threats.
Students will be taught how to hide or to escape, depending on the situation and where they are. All students aged 13-14 and class representatives will also get a basic training on life-saving measures. Vallaud-Belkacem said, as of now, only 30 percent of students are trained. In pre-school and kindergarten, for children aged 2 to 6, no mention of an attack or a danger should be made but children must be taught to hide and keep quiet through games, Vallaud-Belkacem said.